Connor McDavid gets a 2 minute minor for a hit that should have been 5, a game and a suspension
Not even a minute and a half into the Oilers and Kings game last night, Connor McDavid essentially got away with murder. The puck was dumped into the Kings' zone, where Joonas Korpisalo passed it to Mikey Anderson and as he attempted to corral the pass, McDavid came flying in and hit him from behind into the boards, very hard, following through and finishing the check on a clearly vulnerable player.
Anderson was in what they call the "danger zone" in minor hockey, which is 1-3 feet off of the boards and was unable to brace himself for the hit, not that he was expecting to be hit directly on the numbers. He laid motionless on the ice for a moment before leaving the game and not returning. McDavid received a two minute minor for boarding.
Following the game, McDavid was asked about the hit saying, "I'm obviously not trying to hurt anybody. I just thought I rode him into the boards. I didn't want him to jump by me. I don't think it's all that dirty or all that violent or all that quick."
If the roles were reversed and it was Anderson that hit McDavid, Anderson probably would have received five and a game, at the very least. Not to re-hash Game 1 of the Leafs and Tampa in the playoffs last year, but Kyle Clifford received one game for a less violent hit on Ross Colton who didn't miss a shift.
So far, NHL Player Safety has remained quiet on the incident, and the NHL is showing favoritism towards its superstar forward. However, had a grinder or a player who is known for how hard they hit had done this, they're very likely looking at a multi-game suspension.
| POLL | ||
MARS 31 | 816 ANSWERS Connor McDavid gets a 2 minute minor for a hit that should have been 5, a game and a suspension Does McDavid deserve a suspension for this hit? | ||
| Yes | 579 | 71 % |
| No | 237 | 29 % |
| List of polls | ||
